✦Dolly✦
The cloth burned brighter. Everyone froze around the table, but Riven stayed on one knee beside it, one hand pressed to the floor as if that was the only thing keeping him upright. The dark lines beneath his skin crawled higher. I hated seeing them. I hated that I cared enough for my chest to hurt.
“Read it,” Grayson ordered. No one moved at first. The letters burned into the black cloth slowly, one by one, sharp and ugly.
Crowe. Retrieve your ring. Complete the order. Kill the gate before sunrise, or your bloodline pays for your failure.
Silence followed. Then Riven made a sound. It was small. Controlled. Almost swallowed before it escaped. But I heard it. So did everyone else. My father reached for the ring on the table, but he didn’t touch it. His shadows moved around his bo
